Year: 2015

You’re usually advised to avoid drinking tap water while travelling in a foreign country, but is this really necessary? Here in the UK we have world class water sanitation and levels of toxins and bacteria are tightly controlled. While many other countries have equally excellent water safety standards, that sadly doesn’t apply everywhere in the world. Before you travel, visit the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NATHNAC) website to check advice on the country you’re travelling to.

In countries with poor levels of sanitation, don’t drink water straight from the tap. Diseases like travellers’ diarrhoea, hepatitis A, typhoid and cholera are carried in dirty water so only drink bottled or boiled water. If it isn’t possible to boil your water, using iodine or chlorine disinfectant tablets will purify water, though you may want to use them in combination to ensure all forms of parasites are killed.

Remember; don’t get caught out with things like ice in your drink or food that has been washed in tap water. Foods like water melon may be stored in water to make them more juicy so be vigilant. Though these measures seem a lot of hassle, they’re a small price to pay for your health.

If you do a lot of travelling whether it be for work or personal, there are a few gadgets that are a must have for 2016. Most of us have been in a situation where we have no battery left on a phone, tablet or laptop. If you are sat on a train and bored and want to play a game, or have urgent work to do, this can be very frustrating. There are now a number of portable charging devices you can buy starting from as little as £5 that will allow you to charge your device via a USB cable. These devices can sometimes charge multiple devices simultaneously.

Tablet, Kindle or Smartphone – Many of us have one of these already but if it is going to be used a lot when travelling you might wish to invest in a cheaper mobile or make sure that you have a comprehensive insurance policy that will cover it for loss, theft or damage.

Travelling from place to place within a city can be expensive, especially if you are using black cab taxis. If you are looking to go away for a weekend to a big city such as London, then you may want to consider pre-arranging transport for the duration of your stay.

Black cabs are very quick and can be located all over the city but you will pay over the odds for a ride and the total can quickly rake up if you are sat in traffic.

Normal taxis are usually a little bit cheaper, but still not the most cost effective way to get around. The underground trains and buses operate almost every few mins and some run quite later in to the night, meaning you can use them all day. If you buy an Oyster card, you can preload it with credit and then just swipe your card every time you use a public service.

Travelling by train is becoming increasingly popular due to the faster train lines and more direct routes available. Sometimes you may find the cost of a train ride to your chosen destination is more less than it would cost in fuel and parking if you were to go in your own car and also it saves wear and tear on your vehicle.

If you are looking for cheap train tickets then there is a number of websites you can use and often you need to shop around and find a few different options to find the cheapest tickets. It may be that two single tickets works out cheaper than buying a return and often off peak tickets offer a saving.

Booking your train travel tickets in advance can also be a way to save money as well as booking tickets at the last minute. If you are prepared to change trains during your route then this can also bring the cost of a ticket down.

These days there is quite literally an app for everything, and travel apps are no exception.

Here’s some of my favourite types of travel apps available:-

World clock apps – these give you access to have a number of clocks running on your phone at one time that are accurate and will allow traveling from country to country and finding time to call home much easier.

Weather apps – these are especially useful if you don’t have access to an English speaking weather channel whilst you are traveling around and are a great safety tool for countries that put out weather warns for things such as floods or tornados.

Currency calculator – this is possibly the best app that you will find and use numerous times during your travels, it quickly converts most currencies into pounds to allow you to easily compare prices whilst away.

Sunscreen app – now this may sound like an odd one but is a must if you are away somewhere hot and sunny. The app calculates what levels of UV rays there are according to your location and advises on factor of sunscreen needed and sets a timer to sound when it’s time to reapply!

You might expect a hefty fee to switch an airline ticket to a different person as airlines have to submit a passenger manifest before departure but you may be surprised to be hit with equally high fees to amend a simple typo.

You could be looking at fees in excess of £100, with fees varying widely between different airlines. This could be especially galling if you managed to bag a great deal, particularly as some firms charge a flat fee plus the price difference between the day you booked your flight and the day you amend it.

Filling in forms online is often a tedious business, especially on a smart phone, but booking a flight may be the time to turn off the auto-fill feature and double check every entry before you hit confirm. If you realise you’ve made mistake quick enough, some firms do offer a 24 hour grace period.